This disclosure relates generally to piggable or free floating isolation tools for pipe inline services. More specifically, the disclosure relates to elastomer packer seals for pipeline isolation of oil and gas.
Elastomer packer seals generally have an elastomer core in the shape of a ring. In an effort to alleviate the sealing problem of high extrusion gap, conventional seals use an adaptive spring to close the clearance gap between the plug and the pipeline. However, there are openings between the spring coils. Portions of the elastomer core may protrude through these openings, with the resulting loss of elastomer (“elastomer creep”) challenging the integrity of the packer as pressure and/or temperature increase. In addition, the spring may become unstable and can fail to support the elastomer core, particularly when the extrusion gap is large and the isolation pressure is high.
There is a need for a dynamic mechanical support structure that can support and protect the elastomer core while allowing large extrusion gaps. There is also a need for a dynamic mechanical support structure that can withstand high pressure forces.